Friends remember final days of "The Greatest"
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Whether Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer of all time is debatable, but no athlete has had as great of an impact outside his sport than him.
The boxing legend and civil rights activist passed away Friday night at a hospital near his home in Phoenix. He was 74 years old.
In his final days, Ali suffered from a respiratory ailment, a condition made worse by the Parkinson's disease which he had fought for more than 30 years.
Ali died as he lived, surrounded by people who loved him. But this time, it was only close friends and family.
His daughter, Hana, said in a statement Saturday, "Our hearts are literally hurting. But we are happy daddy is free now."
"Their dad would have been proud of them," Bob Gunnell, Ali's spokesman and close friend, told CBS News.
Gunnell was at the hospital when the champ passed away. He said Ali's wife, Lonnie, first took him to a doctor this past Tuesday for a small cough. They went home with some medication.
"It didn't help, so they checked in the hospital," Gunnell said. "We assumed it would be a short hospital stay... like it has been before, and within 24 hours, it became worse. And Lonnie called, and I could tell in her voice that there was an issue."
Ali's family flew to Phoenix on Friday to be by his side. His close friend, John Ramsey, was also there.
"A lot of emotion last night, you know. These kids, like their father, they're very spiritual," Ramsey told CBS News, referring to Ali's children. "They had a lot of good stories. There were tears. There were hugs. There were laughs. It was good to see everybody in one room."
At that point, Ali was on a ventilator, and his organs were shutting down.
"It took a bad turn. It hit him hard," Ramsey said. "And, you know, Muhammad's gotten off the mat a lot of times. He just couldn't do it this time."
By Friday night, his family had to make a decision.
"Muhammad was meticulous in expressing how not only he wanted to live but how he wanted to die," Gunnell said. "They were united in their front that that's not how their father wanted to live his life ... They've known what he wanted."
Gunnell said Ali's children chose to take him off life support.
"They did," Gunnell said. "It was hard."
"We all tried to stay strong and whispered in his ear, 'You can go now. We will be okay,'" Hana Ali wrote on Twitter. "All of his organs failed, but his HEART wouldn't stop beating. For 30 minutes..."
"Even though Muhammad didn't speak as eloquently and like he used to, and his speech was limited at times, his eyes and his motions spoke volumes," Gunnell said. "In his presence, his actions spoke volumes. And that's probably what I would have wanted to tell him -- is that he made me a better person."
On Sunday, family members will accompany Ali's body to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where they will hold a private memorial Thursday.
A public service is set for Friday, beginning with a funeral procession through town. Former President Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel are set to give eulogies, and thousands are expected to attend from around the world.
